Enzo Maresca has apologised to Chelsea and agreed to pay compensation after Manchester City officially confirmed his appointment as Pep Guardiola's successor on a three-year deal on Monday.

The announcement came alongside a strongly worded statement from Chelsea, released simultaneously, in which the club condemned Maresca's abrupt mid-season resignation and described the disruption it caused as a major contributing factor to their disappointing 2025/26 campaign.

Chelsea's damning statement

Chelsea revealed that Maresca had informed the club as early as autumn 2025 that Manchester City had expressed interest in him as a long-term replacement for Guardiola. The club's statement made clear that Maresca was fully committed to pursuing that opportunity despite holding a long-term contract with no right to terminate it.

"It became clear to us that it was his strong desire to succeed Guardiola and that he was fully committed to pursuing the opportunity, despite the fact he was under a long-term contract which he had no right to terminate," the statement read.

Maresca resigned unexpectedly on New Year's Day, just 18 months into his tenure at Stamford Bridge. His final match in charge was a 2-2 home draw with Bournemouth, during which supporters booed and chanted "you don't know what you're doing" when he substituted Cole Palmer.

Chelsea secured only one win across their last seven Premier League matches before his departure, leaving them 15 points behind eventual champions Arsenal at the time. The club ultimately finished the season 10th — scraping the top half only on goal difference — and missed out on European football entirely.

"No club wants to change its head coach midway through a season," the statement continued. "However, in light of his decision not to continue fulfilling his responsibilities through to the end of the season, the club was left with no choice but to protect our players, our supporters, and the badge and accept his resignation."

Maresca's personal apology

Posting on his personal Instagram account, Maresca acknowledged the damage caused by his sudden departure.

"The decision was only mine. My resignation from Chelsea opened a path for me to join Manchester City, which is a club I knew very well. I am ecstatic that I have now joined Manchester City. I recognise that my departure from Chelsea in the middle of the season caused disruption for the club and I apologise for that. It was neither my intention nor my wish."

Fractured relationships and a turbulent end

Behind the scenes, the relationship between Maresca and Chelsea had grown increasingly strained. Poor results, public outbursts to the media, and reported disagreements with medical staff all contributed to a fractured environment at the club.

In a telling moment after Chelsea's 2-0 home victory over Everton in mid-December, Maresca told reporters he had endured his "worst 48 hours" at the club and that "many people didn't support us" — comments he subsequently declined to elaborate on.

Sky Sports News understands Chelsea reluctantly gave Maresca permission to speak with Man City, but only on the condition that any move would take place in the summer and only if Guardiola chose to leave the Etihad.

Compensation agreed between all parties

Sky Sports News understands Man City will pay Chelsea £17 million in compensation, reflecting the three-and-a-half years that remained on Maresca's contract at the time of his resignation.

Chelsea's statement confirmed that two separate confidential settlements had been reached — one with Manchester City and one directly with Maresca himself, under which he will personally contribute to the compensation owed to the club.

Following Maresca's exit, Chelsea appointed Liam Rosenior as head coach, but he was dismissed after just 106 days in the role as the season continued to unravel.